Refrigeration Device with Illumination of the Inner Chamber

ABSTRACT

A refrigeration appliance is provided having an inner chamber surrounded by insulating walls and an illumination system for the inner chamber, the illumination system including an elongated light source and a housing which surrounds the light source. A rear wall of the housing penetrates into one of the insulating walls, the depth of penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall being maximal in the vicinity of the light source and diminishing as the distance from the light source increases.

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance and in particular aninterior illumination system of such a refrigeration appliance.

Conventionally, such an interior illumination has as its light source anincandescent lamp which may be regarded as a light source forming apoint, and thus incapable of enabling homogeneous, shadow-freeillumination of the internal space. The housings of the aforementionedinterior illumination systems are conventionally mounted on the innerskin of a wall of the refrigeration appliance, that is they intrude intothe internal space. This has the result that the internal space isnarrowed in the vicinity of the mounted interior illumination system.For this reason, the tendency has already been to move towards arrangingthe housing of this interior illumination system at least partially in arecessed manner within the wall of the refrigeration appliance. Howeverthis results in less effective illumination of the internal space.

Furthermore interior illumination systems have recently been proposedwhich use an elongated light source, for example in the form of afluorescent tube, which can be mounted vertically on a wall of therefrigeration appliance in order to illuminate a number of compartmentswithin this internal space which are separated from each other bycompartment bases.

Especially in the case of such interior illumination systems the problemarises that if it protrudes far into the internal space, all thecompartment bases must be made narrower, in order to enable them to bepushed past the lighting system into the internal space. Valuablestorage surface on the compartment bases is thus lost.

The object of the invention is to create a refrigeration appliance witha light source, in particular an illumination system using an elongatedlight source, in which the illumination of the internal space can beimproved by means of simple structural measures, thus avoiding thedisadvantages of the state of the art.

This object is achieved by means of the features in claim 1. By means oflight reflected towards the door of the refrigeration appliance forexample via a correspondingly inclined reflector arrangement, then evenin the case of an interior illumination system arranged in a recessedmanner within the heat insulation of a wall of the refrigerationappliance which surrounds the internal space, it is possible to achievefavourable illumination of the internal space while at the same timegaining storage space, particularly when this is an elongated lightsource. It is particularly simple to position the reflector precisely inrelation to the housing of the interior illumination system if thereflector is shaped according to a preferred embodiment by the rear wallof the housing. A reduction in the number of parts is also achievedthereby. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention itis provided for the rear wall of the housing to penetrate into one ofthe insulating walls, the depth of penetration of the rear wall into theinsulating wall being at its maximum in the vicinity of the light sourceand diminishing as the distance from the light source increases, that istowards the rear wall of the body. This form of the rear wall makes itpossible to provide for greater width of the interior illuminationcoupled with negligible loss of insulation volume. Additionally, a largeproportion of the light radiated from the light source in a directionmore or less parallel to the insulating wall of the housing or towardsthis wall is scattered on the rear wall of the housing into the internalspace.

The light source is preferably arranged on an area of the rear wallfacing the front side of the refrigeration appliance. It is therebylargely shaded relative to the front side of the appliance, and thedanger of a user looking into the internal space being dazzled by thelight source is thus avoided. In order to achieve high light yield inthe internal space, the rear wall is preferably embodied as a reflector.

The rear wall of the housing of the internal space illumination systemis preferably affixed on the foam side to an inner skin of theinsulating wall, filling a window in said inner skin. During foaming ofthe insulating wall, the rear wall is thus pressed against the innerskin by the foam, and the danger of the foam intruding between the innerskin and the rear wall is minimal.

With a view to simplified assembly, the rear wall of the illuminationsystem housing is embodied in at least 2-part form, with the part facingthe light source being longer and located at least partially in the heatinsulation, while the other part is arranged on the internal face of thewall. In order to fasten a further part of the interior illuminationsystem, at least one insert groove is preferably embodied on the rearwall.

In particular, an insert groove open towards the front of therefrigeration appliance is embodied on an edge region of the rear walladjacent to the front of the refrigeration appliance. This allows theremoval of a housing part affixed in this insert groove parallel to theinsulating wall towards the front of the refrigeration appliance. Bymeans of a suitable shaping of the compartment bases it is possible toenable the housing part to be removed to the front without it beingnecessary to remove the compartment bases for this purpose.

The light source is preferably free and can be replaced if the housingpart is removed. In order to avoid the user being dazzled, the housingpart is further preferably opaque. To fasten a further housing part, aninsert groove open vertically to the insulating wall is embodied on anedge region of the rear wall adjacent to the rear of the refrigerationappliance. By means of the different orientation of the insert grooves,it is ensured that this second housing part does not inadvertently comeloose when the first one is removed.

One edge of the window of the inner skin is preferably covered in eachcase by the housing part inserted into the first and/or second insertgroove.

Further features and advantages of the invention are revealed on thebasis of the description of an exemplary embodiment with reference tothe accompanying figures where

FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section through a refrigeration applianceaccording to the invention and

FIG. 2 shows a horizontal cross section through an insulating wall ofthe refrigeration appliance housing along line II from FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section through a refrigeration applianceaccording to the invention with a housing comprising a body 1 with sidewalls 2 and a rear wall 3, and with a door 4 hung on the body 1, whichas a whole are embodied as hollow bodies foamed with an insulatingmaterial. The internal space 5 encompassed by the body 1 and door 4 isdivided into a number of compartments 7, 8 by means of compartment bases6. The lowermost compartment 8 contains a pullout box; its depth isreduced compared with that of the compartments 7 to cater for acompressor recess at the rear of the appliance.

An interior illumination system 10 extends across the entire height ofthe compartments 7 on one of the side walls 2.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the interior illumination system 10 on thebasis of a cross section through the insulating side wall 2 at the levelof the line II from FIG. 1. The side wall is constructed in the knownmanner from a rigid internal skin 11, which is formed by means of thedeep drawing of a plastic plate, and surrounds the entire internal space5 in one piece, a likewise rigid external skin 12, and an insulationlayer 13 made of expanded polymer material lying between these.

A window is cut in the internal skin 11, which on the foam side isbacked with a rear wall 14 of the interior illumination system 10. Therear wall 14 has a surrounding marginal web 15, which is fixed aroundthe window on the foam side of the internal skin 11 in a foam-tightmanner, for example through the use of adhesive. The depth to which therear wall 14 penetrates into the insulation layer 13, is at its greatestin the region 16 adjacent to the front of the body 1; an inclined wallpiece 17 joins the rear of the body 1, the depth of penetration of whichinto the insulation layer 13 always diminishes as the distance from anelongated light source 18 arranged on the forward area 16 increases. Onits inner face, the inclined wall piece 17 serves as a reflector, beingfor example mirror-coated, in order to reflect light striking it fromthe light source 18 with the minimum possible loss onto a translucentdiffuser plate 19 which separates the interior illumination system 10from the internal space 5. In order to distribute the light from thediffuser plate 19 into the internal space 5 in as diffuse a manner aspossible, the diffuser plate 19 can be milky opaque or can be providedwith imprinted structures which diffract the light in differentdirections.

A further reflecting surface 20 is arranged between the forward area 16of the rear wall and the light source 18.

On the forward area 16 of the rear wall 14 is formed a web 21 whichengages through the window in the internal skin 11, with a insert groove22 open towards the front of the body 1. A spring 23 of a plasticprofile section which forms a further part 24 of the housing of theinterior illumination system 10 engages with the insert groove 22. Thehousing part 24 is latched in a releasable manner onto a detent tip 25of the web 21 and has a groove 26 open towards the rear wall 3 of thebody (towards the right in FIG. 2) with which a spring of the diffuserplate 19 engages.

An edge 27 of a compartment base 6 runs a short distance away from thediffuser plate 19. As may readily be seen, this edge 27 does not preventthe housing part 24 being pulled away towards the front of the body 1,that is towards the left in the view shown in FIG. 2. If the housingpart 24 is removed, the light source 18 of the interior illuminationsystem is exposed, and can be changed.

A groove 28 which is open towards the internal space 5 is formed in therear wall 14 where the inclined wall part 17 of the rear wall 14 meetsthe internal skin 11, into which latches a spring of a housing part 29likewise manufactured as a profile section which forms a rear fixing forthe diffuser plate 19, likewise by means of a tongue-and-grooveconnection. The housing part 29 encompasses a wall piece 30 runningalong the extended inclined wall piece 17 of the rear wall 14, likewisehaving a reflective coating.

1-17. (canceled)
 18. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a.) aheat-insulated body having a plurality of walls delimiting an internalspace, the heat-insulated body having a door opening providing accessinto the internal space; b.) a door for selectively closing off, andpermitting access through, the door opening of the heat-insulated body;and c.) an interior illumination system disposed on one of the walls ofthe heat-insulated body, the interior illumination system having ahousing, a light source, and a reflector that reflects light emittedfrom the light source in the direction of the door opening.
 19. Therefrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light sourceof the interior illumination system is an elongated light source and isarranged on a side wall of the heat-insulated body.
 20. Therefrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reflector isformed by a rear wall of the housing.
 21. The refrigeration appliance asclaimed in claim 18, wherein a rear wall of the housing penetrates atleast partially an insulating wall of the heat-insulated body, the depthof penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall being at itsgreatest in the vicinity of the light source, and the depth ofpenetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall diminishing as thedistance between the light source and the rear wall of theheat-insulated body increases.
 22. The refrigeration appliance asclaimed in claim 18, wherein the light source is arranged in an area ofa rear wall of the heat-insulated body facing the front of therefrigeration appliance.
 23. The refrigeration appliance as claimed inclaim 18, wherein a rear wall of the heat-insulated body is configuredas a reflector.
 24. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18,wherein at least on of the walls of the heat-insulated body is aninsulating wall having an outer skin, an inner skin, and foam disposedbetween the outer skin and the inner skin, the housing of the interiorillumination system has a rear wall, and, on the foam side, the rearwall of the interior illumination system is affixed to an inner skin ofthe insulating wall and fills a window in the insulating wall.
 25. Therefrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rear wall ofthe heat-insulated body is an insulating wall and the rear wall of thehousing of the interior illumination system is configured in at leasttwo parts, with at least the part housing therein the light sourcepenetrating the insulating rear wall of the heat-insulated body.
 26. Therefrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein a further partof the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system ismounted on the inner face of the insulating rear wall of theheat-insulated body in a releasable configuration.
 27. The refrigerationappliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein the rear wall of the housingof the interior illumination system has two parts forming an inclinedplane that ascends towards the rear wall of the heat-insulated body. 28.The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18 and furthercomprising at least one insert groove formed on the rear wall of thehousing of the interior illumination system for fastening a further partof the housing.
 29. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18and further comprising an insert groove open towards the front of therefrigeration appliance formed on an edge region of the rear wall of thehousing of the interior illumination system adjacent to the front of therefrigeration appliance.
 30. The refrigeration appliance as claimed inclaim 29, wherein a part of the housing of the interior illuminationsystem is insertable into the insert groove open towards the front andis removable from the insert groove and the light source is exposed whenthe housing part is removed.
 31. The refrigeration appliance as claimedin claim 30, wherein the housing part is opaque.
 32. The refrigerationappliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least on of the walls ofthe heat-insulated body is an insulating wall and further comprising aninsert groove an insert groove open vertically to the insulating walland formed on an edge region of the rear wall of the housing of theinterior illumination system adjacent to the rear of the refrigerationappliance.
 33. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 30,wherein an edge of the window is covered by the housing part insertedinto the insert groove.
 34. The refrigeration appliance as claimed inclaim 18, wherein the rear wall of the heat-insulated body is arrangedat least essentially over the height of the internal space and its twolateral walls.